Beat the Clock Kettlebell Workout

This workout is a great way to challenge yourself – the goal is to get better and beat your previous time in each new round you do, so you are competing against yourself and the clock. The purpose of this workout is to push yourself both mentally and physically and maximising every single minute of your workout – this is handy if you are short of time but want to get the most out of the time you have. A fantastic fat-torcher.

Rules of play

Remember to warm up before you start this workout – I have included an kettlebell specific routine below.

Do as many rounds as possible in 30 minutes.

Each round consists of 5 exercises, which you need to do continuously without a rest period between them. You can however rest at the end of each round (more on that later).

The number of reps differ for each exercise – they vary between 5- 25.

Record your time at the end of each round so that you know what you are aiming to beat in the next round.

Rest only until you reach the next minute, that is when the next round starts. Your rest time will of course depend on when you finished the last round – it could be anything between 1 to 59 seconds. For example, if you finished a round after 2 minutes 35 seconds, you get to rest for 25 seconds before the next minute starts!

Do not sacrifice good form and technique for speed.

The only type of equipment you need is a couple of kettlebells.

Use the same weight for each type of exercise – so choose your weapon wisely at the beginning as there is no turning back!

Make sure you have a clock or watch for this – for example, a stopwatch on your mobile phone will do.

Get into the groove

Jog on the spot for a few minutes.

March in one spot. Tilt your neck side to side, turn your head left to right, repeat a few times.

Do arm circles backwards and forwards – start with smaller circles and make them bigger.

Do a few arms swings across your chest and in an X shape.

Do a couple of hip circles in each direction.

Do some dynamic lunges forwards bringing your arms high up, so that you give your hip flexors a bit of a stretch.

Do some squats then progress to squat jumps focussing on explosivity as you bring your arms upwards.

Do a few leg swings forwards and try to touch your toes with your hands.

Lie down in a crucifix position and swing one leg to touch the wrist of your extended arm, repeat a few times.

Do 10- 15 glute bridges, make them explosive and really focus on your glutes firing.

The workout

After you’ve completed the workout

Do some gentle walking to bring your heart rate back down. As always, remember to stretch down and refuel with a protein rich snack or meal within the hour of finishing this workout to give your body a chance to recover well.

.

Hope you decide to give this workout a go! Let me know in the comments what your best time was! What’s your favourite piece of equipment to workout with?

Hi there!

Welcome to my blog! I'm Timea. I am a passionate runner, a Personal Trainer and Kettlebell Instructor. I love writing about all things running and fitness. I especially enjoy exploring topics around peak performance and resilience through developing the mindset of an athlete. My motto is 'whatever your 100% looks like, give it'. In 2017, I challenged myself to run 12 half marathons in 12 months. This year I am gearing up for my biggest challenge ever, which is becoming a mum in November! In the meanwhile, trying to stay fit, healthy and keeping my sanity!